Generally, processing of a silver halide photographic material with an automatic processor has resulted in improved processing stability, speed, simplicity and handling. In a developer for a black and white photographic light-sensitive material, there has been mainly used hydroquinone as a developing agent to achieve desirable levels of photographic activity, stability, availability, handling and cost thereof. However, hydroquinone is allergenic compound, unsuitable for human body. Therefore, there is a need for a developer containing no hydroquinone. U.S. Pat. No. 5,236,816, for example, discloses a developer containing ascorbic acid in place of hydroquinone.
Photographic processing effluent, which contains a harmful ingredient cannot disposed of in a public sewer. The effluent has been recovered for decomposition by a troublesome burning method at a high expense. Therefore, reduction of the amount of photographic effluent is desirable. As a means for solving these problems, there was proposed a reduction of the replenishing amount when the photographic material is processed by an automatic processor. Reduction of the replenishing amount resulted in accumulation of unnecessary reaction product formed during the course of processing in a processing tank. Specifically, silver salt dissolved out from a photographic material is precipitated on the surface of the photographic material to produce stain due to so-called silver sludge. In the field of printing, improved efficiency and speed-up of working, and shortening of processing time has been demanded. For the purpose of improvement in rapid-processability of photographic material, there was proposed reduction of the binder contained in the protective layer or an increase in the degree of swell of overall hydrophilic colloid layers including the emulsion layer. Reduction of the binder or an increase in the degree of swell, however, results in an increase of the silver complex dissolved out of the photographic material to cause silver sludge due to reduction thereof in the developer.
U.S. Pat. No 5,236,816 discloses an ascorbic acid developer in which a large amount of a carbonate salt is contained for the purpose of protecting the activity thereof agaist oxidation and preventing decomposition thereof. The use of the carbonate, however, was found to cause deterioration in silver sludge when rapid-processed at a low replenishing rate and therefore to be unfavorable for photographic quality.
Accordingly, there has been a strong demand for lowering the replenishing rate of an ascorbic acid-predeveloper and development of a processing chemical having excellent photographic quality.